The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centres in the United States, has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vietnam National Cancer Hospital (K Hospital) and the Vietnam Cancer Association to work together to improve standards for cancer care throughout the country.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) are the recognised standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer care and the most thorough and frequently updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. NCCN currently has a library of more than 80 NCCN Guidelines, containing the latest evidence-based expert consensus recommendations for treating nearly every type of cancer, plus screening, prevention, and supportive care.

These free resources help guide care providers around the world with more than 13 million downloads per year; nearly half of registered users of the NCCN Guidelines report that they live outside the United States.

NCCN Harmonised Guidelines have already been published in collaboration with local experts in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.

Next steps for this project include nine additional harmonisations to cover the top 10 highest-incidence cancer types for Vietnam. The NCCN Harmonised Guidelines for these 10 cancer types will also be translated into Vietnamese by professionals with advanced degrees and experience in the medical field.